The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-11-12

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individuals
IN the water
the use of the
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limestone rock until
ed; if the falls were
r in the river above
until navigation was I'M
might want to navigate
There are no boats rum
,er river now, nor have there
years, and then that some
not do it. These 'mights" led
spend much money to preserve
and while no one supposed that
would be sussity IN a com
YP9e supported voluntarily by
en and that journal that is not
roit I'D is not needed.
or the1 vocATE is genuine newspaper.
a thingb and printed in its own office;
At the beginningor-Vnrs Jesr4-.----.,-l-L---
apolis mills numbered ENTHUSIASTICALLY
four on the west side of the river and two
ON the east side. While the west side so
greatly out-numbers the east side in mills,
the east side enjoys the distinction OF hay
ing the mill of largest capacity in the world.
This is the Pillsbury A mill, having ca
pacity of 1000 barrels of -four every "A
hours. OF this mill, which l studied thor
oughly, | shall speak hereafter. The ag-
gregate daily capacity of the Minneapolis
mills is $3.50 barrels of flour. Most of
the mills have only water power. A half
dozen have both steam and water power;
and one mill, of small capacity, has only
steam power.
The history OF the Minneapolis Touring
mills is like romance. The first mill was
erected by w. W. Eastman in 1859, be-
lieve on the west bank of the river. The
second mill was built in 1868, Two more
were built three years later. But until
1871 the milling industry amounted to but
little. Here was splendid water power; but
the -four from the wheat to be had was of
very poor quality. One Of the men who
had early invested largely in Minneapolis
was C. c. Washburn, member OF that
noted Washburn family of Maine that gave
to this country five noted brothers. He
was member of Congress, major-general
in the late war, and governor Of his State
Wisconsin, Amid all the discourage
ments of the early days of the settlement
of the Northwest, Mr.. Washburn never
lost faith in Minneapolis. He was among
the early mill-bailders. and as already noted,
introduced Perrigaults invocation into this
country. To him also belongs the honor
of having introduced the Hungarian roller
system Of gradually reducing the wheat to
flour. In 1873 the Washburn A mill was
begun, and it was completed in the follow
Ing year. The Washburn c mill was begun
in 1877, and completed ;n 1873. By this
time other large mills had been bualt, ell to
make -four by the new process. The an
uual product Of the Minneapolis mills had
bounded TO above million barrels of -four
The dull, pulsating, suppressed hum of the
mills was heard day and night; from the
fertile prairies of Minnesota and Dakota
the wheat came in an ever increasing vol
ume, and the energy and enterprise that
had come to the banks below the falls ever
kept greater, city, largely founded by the
milling industry, was building with great
rapidity; prosperity was great and all events
seemed promising of good. Then there
was sudden disaster. 1t came one May
evening. A foe, always seen, but never
suspected, had lurked in the big mills. 1t
\ had bided its tiRe-waited to show its
power until mems work had assumed pro-
portions that would make this foe, when it
had shown itself, to be dreaded. The
four-dust that filed the air, that made a
white carpet for the floors and white drap-
ings for the walls, took fire and exploded.
There was made manifest force as of dy-
Mantle, before which the walls Of the big
Washburn mill crumbled. The explosion
was communicated to four other mills near
by. and one after another, in quick success
sion, the towering structures became shape
less heaps of stone. Half of the milling
, capacity of the city was gone. But the
sturdy old Washburn, standing by the
, ruins of his mills, deplored only the loss of
5 life, and declared, ''The mills shall be re-
7 builtr And so they wcre-and they
stand yet. The foe had revealed itself, and
r American inventive genius captured it.
! The deadly dust is now drawn by air cur
: rents into confinement, where it is harm
l less, and where it is made to give up not a
/, little -four The heroic General, Congress
9 man aud Governor is gone; but the Wash
+ burn mills, second IN capacity only to the
Pillsbury, stand firm, the best monument
4 to the memory of the man who built them.